98 The first test: the dragons are coming!
The time came for each champion to reach into the bag of miniature figures and Soisen watched in amazement as Potter pulled out a harmless Norwegian Ridgeback while he got the aggressive Hungarian Horntail.
He couldn't help but look twice at Bagman beside him with veiled suspicion, thinking about how he probably settled the bets after considering the odds and winnings.
It's definite, the bag is rigged and the figures manipulated!
Just hope the chain used to bind it isn't the same one that broke on the original....
At least, due to being the second to last one out by draw, he could try to come up with a plan with what he knew about the dragon and a backup plan in case it gets loose.
Hungarian Horntail: One of the fiercest of the dragon breeds, which even Hagrid commented on its ferocity. It is extremely fast during flight, as fast as a Fire Saeta and is capable of reaching nearly one hundred and thirty meters per second from zero to ten. Its flame can reach extremely high temperatures, being able to heat a stone red hot in a matter of seconds. It has black scales, a spiked tail and bronze horns protruding from its head.
-Since each champion already has his dragon and you know the target, there is no further reason to postpone the event. Let the first one come out when I hear the bell and good luck to all of you. You will need it...
Soisen stayed talking to the champion Curie, who was the last to leave and managed to get the recipe to prepare an excellent Coq Au Vin while waiting for her turn.
*Timbre*
-That's my cue, wish me luck - Soisen said goodbye to Curie patting her shoulder to give encouragement to the champion who looked like she was about to faint from nerves and left the tent, which was connected to a hallway whose exit was the arena where she was to face the dragon.
The crowd was expectant as they waited with their eyes focused on the exit of Soisen, who would appear through the same cave through which the rest of the champions came out. From their expressions, it seemed that one of the champions had not fared well at all.
That, and from some blood stains on the rock.
The den den mushi were spread out at key points to capture the best scenes and four large linen screens at the top showed in detail the view of their respective snails. People were quite amazed by the strange and practical creature, especially the Ministry of Magic staff, who couldn't wait to find Dumbledore to "commandeer" some of them.
He hoped he would not be forced to use his golden den den mushi.
Soisen had a rough idea of the first few seconds of the encounter, so the plan to follow was clear. As he emerged from the darkness with golden eyes alight, he stepped out of the gloom of the entrance with a firm stride and after locating the golden egg, the first thing he did before the eyes of all onlookers was to change his appearance.
Her hair grew to her back turning blood red and an elegant white mask covered her right eye, while her clothes changed to a black robe with golden edges and white ruffles on the sleeves. He held up his index and middle finger where sky-blue runes began to form.
-On, Avata, Ura, Masarakat, On-gatar! -No one understood what those words meant, but that only managed to arouse everyone's interest.
Music suddenly began to play all around them and they watched as a female figure in a dark dress with green roses, with dark opera gloves covering her hands up to her elbows and a little more, appeared behind him and held his hand gracefully.
But the most striking part was that the woman wore a leather mask that covered almost all of her face, leaving only her mouth uncovered and from the mask seemed to emerge four wings of a large crimson butterfly.
-Grave of Maria: Magdala Curtain!
The strange woman began to sing and her voice sent out waves of sheet music visible to the naked eye. A dome of light rose up around Soisen and deflected the large spiked tail that was about to strike him.
-A sneak attack? -He shook his head in disapproval, "So wild and predictable.
He didn't know if the dragon understood what he was saying or not, but it was clear that the Horntail didn't like in the least not being able to crush the intruder in one fell swoop. He took a firm stance to prepare to spit fire, but Soisen wasn't about to let him act.
-"Carte Garte! -Soisen ordered the woman behind him.
The woman held her hands to her chest as she chanted again, but this time, the voice waves were purple and hovered over the dragon's head, which began to writhe fiercely.
Soisen frowned and stopped soon after the attack, because the agitated Horntail was about to break several eggs and that would subtract points as it did to Krum.
The dragon seemed especially furious after the last attack, so it was not surprising that the moment he was free, he threw fire with all his might against the intruder.
-Now, that's better," Soisen smiled as the woman next to him vanished like a ghost, "But I've seen them better, I'll show you.
She transformed again as her hair shortened and turned a pinkish color while her attire changed to a scarf with white scales and a curious red symbol on her right shoulder.
Onlookers were stunned when they saw Soisen not avoid the flare and instead, open his mouth to suck it in before everyone's gaze and swallow it as if it were food. Barely five seconds later, Soisen released his own fire breath with an intensity even greater than the dragon's, evident by the blue flames and white streaks of flames
-Dragon Slayer Magic: Roar of the Fire Dragon King!
The blaze covered the dragon and scorched everything in its path, leaving a trail of glowing, molten rock in its wake. Unfortunately, the dragon's resistance to fire was very high and the damage was minor, so once the fire was extinguished, the dragon's gaze was increasingly annoyed.
He was not stupid, seeing that the intruder seemed to be unaffected by his ever reliable fire and seemed to attack from a distance, so he will just crush it with his tail and claws.
Soisen was taken by surprise as he leapt closer and the tail hit him squarely in the chest at a much faster speed than before with a sideways sweep.
So the punch from before wasn't for real!
All the spectators, whether they were students or directors, heard the solid blow Soisen took to his flesh in horror.
Didn't that mean that a champion was impaled by the tail barbs?
Even the Hungarian Horntail let his guard down as he felt his blow connect flawlessly. That little bug must be dead by now, right?
When the smoke settled, everyone saw Soisen lying on the ground, but there was no trace of blood on his body. Only his clothes were torn, exposing his abs and the impacted area which had turned completely dark with a faint metallic sheen.
-That was close," they all heard and watched as Soisen stood up dusting himself off with an annoyed expression, back to his original appearance, clearly upset about his damaged clothing.
Close? They didn't think anyone would be so calm when receiving such a whipping on his chest from a dragon!
Truth be told, Soisen hadn't expected his potion to be able to withstand a dragon's blow either, it seems his invention had more merit than he originally gave it credit for. The downside was that while he managed to withstand the heavy impact, the internal damage he received was not few and his accelerated recovery began to work.
He needed to finish the encounter before he would run out of steam.
He took advantage of the fact that the armor already covered part of his body and with a bit of effort, he stretched it across his body, covering it comprehensively before jumping at high speed and landing next to the head of the Horntail. The latter tried to bite him, but all he received in return was a jab to the jaw that disoriented him for a moment, giving Soisen the opportunity to climb onto his head.
The impact of his landing broke the bony spines on the dragon's head and caused the creature's head to crash to the ground. After taking a firm stance that would prevent it from falling, it began to pound with its fists faster and faster and faster as the music of "STANDING HERE, I REALIZE" played.
The entire stadium shook with each punch and several students in the stands had to hold on to the railings to keep from falling. It wasn't until about forty seconds later that Soisen stopped punching, stood up from the dragon's head which was now sunken and motionless on the ground, to walk over to the golden egg, take it and after weighing it in his hand, turn around and leave the stadium under the gaze of everyone present.
-Perhaps I should have faced the dragon with a Dovahkiin style? -He considered as he headed for the exit, "Never mind, I can buy another dragon in the future if I want to try.
